April 22, 2025 • 18 mins
In this episode of the Becker’s Healthcare Podcast, Erika Spicer Mason speaks with Thomas Lanvers, Senior Vice President at Locumsmart, about the evolving landscape of physician and advanced practice provider (APP) staffing. Thomas shares key trends shaping today’s workforce, from physician retirements to shifting care models, and offers practical strategies for aligning cost-effective staffing with long-term organizational goals. Tune in for insights on how innovation, AI, and strategic partnerships are helping healthcare leaders future-proof their workforce.
This episode is sponsored by Locumsmart.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hello, everyone. This is Erica Spicer Mason with
Becker's Healthcare.
Thank you so much for tuning into the
Becker's Healthcare podcast series.
So today, we're going to talk about balancing
cost and care and strategic approaches to physician
and APP staffing.
And joining me for this discussion is Thomas
Lanvers, senior vice president at LocumSmart.
(00:21):
Thomas, thank you so much for making time
for the podcast today, and welcome.
Thank you. It's great to be here. We're
so glad to have you. And before we
get into our discussion
on the health care workforce, I was wondering
if you could just share a little bit
more about yourself and your work, whatever you
think would be helpful for our listeners to
know.
Sure.
I began, working in, physician staffing in 02/2004.
(00:44):
So I've been in either technology or physician
staffing
for twenty one years,
which makes me
not young.
But the reason I'm here is because I'm
passionate about it, and I'm really,
passionate about creating and crafting solutions for clients,
especially
when they're dealing with, complicated
problems. So
(01:05):
look forward to, look forward to today's call.
No. We look forward to it as well.
And, you know, twenty one years of experience
in this space, I think, is so valuable,
especially because
I'm sure over that time you've noticed
how workforce dynamics
have certainly
evolved and so have hospital needs and demands
for services as well. And it's really transformed
(01:26):
the staffing landscape,
especially for physicians and advanced practice providers
or APPs.
So I'd love to hear from you, you
know, what are you seeing as the biggest
challenges in the past decade in this space,
and what factors are driving these changes?
Yeah. So, boy, when when I started,
when I started twenty plus years ago,
(01:48):
locum tenens was a term
that almost nobody was familiar with.
Now it's a term that everyone is.
Staffing, though, has really been the last frontier
of unregulated
spend for health care organizations.
80% of health care organizations don't understand how
much they spend on their locums and APP
locums.
(02:08):
Where that spend is happening, why that spend
is happening,
that's a problem. Compare that to something like
surgical gloves or MRIs. I'm I'm sure most
hospitals can tell you down to the penny
how much they spend on those things.
The reason for that is that it's largely
been an afterthought and not a strategic part
of how hospitals think about their workforce.
Oftentimes, the locum's responsibilities have been really
(02:31):
lobbed over the fence to someone in recruitment
or credentialing or
really anyone that they've deemed to have additional
capacity.
That's changing,
and it's changing rightfully so because hospital systems
are now acknowledging and fully embracing the importance
of
importance of having a comprehensive approach to their
workforce
strategy. More than 50% of a hospital's costs
are tied up in labor. We we know
(02:54):
that. Right? So when we we talk about
reducing cost,
hospitals have to take the labor component into
consideration.
We also know that a % of revenue
doesn't happen at a hospital without physicians or
APP, so clinicians that can bill for services.
You put those two together and, really, you
you start to recognize that the workforce has
(03:15):
fundamentally shifted
in terms of how hospitals acknowledge and work
with it.
The gig workers was an idea,
ten or fifteen years ago.
Now it's not just an idea. It's a
relevant part of the workforce.
So how a hospital really starts to put
these puzzle pieces together in terms of gig
and their ten ninety nine, their locums,
(03:37):
their permanent workforce,
These are things that that really
have gone from an afterthought
to being top of mind.
So, really, when when we talk about, you
know, contingent labor or labor in general, the
biggest changes that we've seen with health care
organizations
are they want to know what is happening.
So they're driving towards visibility
(03:59):
in their physician and APP staffing.
Visibility
means it can be measured.
And if it can be measured, it can
be approved. So locums are shifting really away
from being an afterthought or viewed as a
You
(04:21):
You said something really powerful toward the beginning
of your response. You said staffing has been
the last frontier of unregulated
spend for health care organizations.
Just a really powerful statement.
And then some of those additional
statistics you shared such as, you know, more
than 50% of hospital costs are tied up
in labor,
definitely something that, you know, we can see
(04:42):
the reasons why hospitals and health systems are
trying to get their arms around this issue.
And I wanted to take this a step
further too and kind of acknowledge the fact
that the health care workforce is aging as
well. We see in data that more than
a third of currently active physicians will reach
retirement age within the next ten years.
So what are some immediate and long term
(05:03):
strategies that organizations can embrace to mitigate risks
and costs there and to ensure that their
staffing models are sustainable?
Yeah. Unfortunately,
clinician,
in particular, physicians are aging. Unfortunately, we all
are.
Right? I know that firsthand.
If we didn't have a large gap,
(05:26):
currently with our physician workforce, this would be
less of a problem. But you combine the
gap that we currently have
with, an aging,
clinical population and and and the gap widens.
So as I see it, there's really only
three choices that can be considered to to
shore up that gap,
going into the future. And if there's a
(05:46):
fourth choice, I would love anyone to reach
out to me because,
I I'd I'd like to hear about it.
But
to me, you can you can utilize,
additional extenders. Right? So what I call extenders
would be APPs,
NPs,
but also extenders further downline.
Hospitals right now are are really, starting to
(06:08):
experiment and even embrace,
you know, some telenurse,
technology,
which enables nurses,
to be more efficient and utilize CNAs
as extenders. So extenders are not just what
you would think of as your your your
typical extender, which would be a advanced plant,
practice physician
or an NP, but it can be used
(06:29):
all the way down the chain to create
more efficiencies
for clinicians in the workspace.
That trend we've seen accelerate,
and it's something that will continue into the
future.
Five years ago on our platform,
less than 10%
of the fills were APPNP.
Today, it's gone over 30%,
(06:50):
and that trend will only continue as that
physician gap continues to widen.
The second solution,
is technology.
So
technology can help all of us become more
efficient, but it can also help clinicians become
more efficient.
And the way we're seeing that is
kind of a a multifaceted
approach.
The first would be telehealth, for instance.
(07:13):
Telehealth enables us to bring clinicians to areas
that they might not normally serve without flying
them, without travel. It also enables them to
be more efficient in terms of the patients
they see per day.
And, ultimately, it's oftentimes a better experience for
the patient themselves.
So
telehealth is is a way that we can
find efficiency within the existing providers that we
(07:36):
have,
but that's not the only way. I think
that a lot of innovative health systems are
also dabbling with AI.
And right now, AI is being utilized as,
really a physician extender, so to speak.
And we can talk about that a little
bit more if you'd like.
And then the third, I I think really
(07:56):
technology,
efficiency gain that's out there would be in
the workforce
efficiency
segment.
I think that oftentimes we have,
either over or under scheduling of providers
or having providers in the wrong place at
the wrong time instead of the right place
at the right time.
So addressing that to,
(08:17):
again, utilize the the clinicians that we currently
have in place more efficiently
is another way that we can address that
gap.
The third,
way that we can address that gap, which
again will continue to grow, would be immigration.
So this one is one that, is a
little bit more difficult. It takes a little
bit longer,
(08:38):
and, it's a a segment that I'm not
in.
But, ultimately, if we have a provider shortage
and our current structure of medical schools cannot
address that,
at some stage, we're gonna have to really,
really think about opening up
immigration
to providers from outside the country to fill
that gap.
(08:59):
Yeah. Thomas, so interesting. And just to recap
for our listeners, you know, you you outlined
three great areas that you mentioned might help
to shore up this gap.
So additional extenders was one, technology was the
second, and integration, the third.
So considering all three of these, you know,
I know a lot of health systems and
hospitals out there will rely on external partners
(09:21):
for those resources.
So in your view, how can leaders
ensure that they're aligning with external partners to
address some of the challenges we've talked about
while also ensuring that their organization
organizational goals stay in sync?
Yeah. So I'll I'll I'll kinda work in
in in reverse order. So we'll start with
immigration.
(09:42):
This is this this happens in DC. Right?
So, hospitals,
fortunately, do have a significant amount of leverage
in Washington.
So do various recruitment associations, and I think
really,
pressing the need
for, immigration reform when it comes to,
physicians and clinicians entering our country,
(10:03):
is something that can be done at a
broader level in Washington. So that's that's relatively
easy, and and a lot of those efforts
are already underway.
From a technology point of view,
there's so many things that are out there.
This is where it gets very murky,
and
it gets a little bit difficult. So when
we talk about,
telehealth,
things have gotten a lot easier. You know?
(10:25):
You can do
95%
of what you need to do through Microsoft
Teams now.
And if you're not using Teams, you can
use Oracle or you can use Epic or
or or whatever kind of baked in solution
your hospital system has for telehealth.
So that that's gotten a lot easier, and
it doesn't require the, the level of kind
of sophisticated
equipment it once did.
(10:46):
When it comes
to AI, I perhaps I won't go down
that path right now. That's that's a whole
Mhmm. Bucket of like, can of worms, so
to speak.
But with workforce efficiency,
really, you know, there there are so many
hospital systems that that we work with currently
that are
employing what I call arts and crafts.
(11:07):
They're utilizing spreadsheets and three ring binders and
highlighters
to to schedule their providers.
The difficulty again with technology is there's a
lot of options in the marketplace,
and a lot of those options are not
well established.
So prior to
partnering with, a technology or any service for
(11:29):
that matter, you really have to vet them
out to ensure
that you're not becoming someone's beta project.
There's too much at stake. Right? And and
large health care organizations understand that. But sometimes
I see smaller ones that could kind of
embroiled with with startups that are promising the
world and cannot deliver.
(11:50):
Yeah. That's such sound advice, Thomas. You know,
really ensuring that
leaders are able to vet out the vendors
and make sure that they're not, as you
put it, the beta project. I think that's
a that's such a good piece of advice.
And I feel like we could certainly continue
going
down this path. I know we have a
limited time together.
So, wanna shift to kind of getting your
(12:12):
your outlook for the future. So when you
look to the next three years,
where are you seeing the biggest opportunities for
innovation in this space?
And what role will AI and other emerging
tech really play in shaping workforce management?
Yeah. I think I think that's that's really
the the million dollar question, and it's the
crystal ball question. Right? And,
(12:34):
you know, full full transparency. If I had
one of those,
I'd be on a beach, somewhere right now,
and we wouldn't be talking to each other,
but that would be less fun. I'll give
it a shot nonetheless.
In my mind,
you know, there there are really two areas
that
really are going to change dramatically in the
next three years. The first would be the
(12:56):
scheduling and efficiency side. Right? So that's utilizing
providers in a way that we're not wasting
any.
You know, the equivalent would be when we
talk about supply chains and not wasting produce,
prior to getting to the customer. We have
a lot of clinicians
that are not being used efficiently right now.
They're being over or under scheduled, and
storing that up
(13:17):
would yield at least 15%
efficiency gains in my mind. And I'll give
you a real world example of what that
looks like.
Many hospital systems already have,
float pools or ten ninety nine physicians that
they utilize,
to kinda fill immediate gaps.
The issue is most of the time, those
providers are not called. They're not contacted because
(13:40):
the needs happen quickly. And to get in
touch with the provider to see if the
provider is available is oftentimes through an archaic
method we call a telephone.
This
has translated into these ten ninety nines and
these flow pools being very inefficient.
And even though hospitals have really invested in
building them, the gains that they've realized from
(14:02):
from building them have not been,
completed because
they don't operate in an efficient manner.
So automating those float pools in a way
where the needs come real time to their
cell phone, They can take the shift in
real
time and go to work even within hours
is something that would really help kinda breach
(14:22):
that efficiency gap, that 15% gap I was
talking about.
So I think that's enormous, and I think
that that will,
yield
a lot in the coming years because the
technology is there, and we've already implemented it.
So it's just a matter of, adopting it
for hospitals.
On the other side, you have
AI. Right? And I think,
(14:43):
when we talk about AI, I I'll I'll
talk about it in in terms of just
clinical delivery
at the moment.
So
AI right now is is going to serve
as an extender of provider's efficiency.
There's some very innovative health care organizations that
are currently using AI to to help their
providers just even sort through email.
(15:04):
A family practice provider might have seventy, eighty,
or 90 emails at the end of the
day that they have to get through.
These are important, but they aren't direct clinical
care.
And if you have AI
that can sort through those and allow them
to essentially,
suss out what's important and what isn't, That
saves them time, and that that's time that
(15:26):
they can spend with patients instead of, in
administrative
tasks.
So AI as an extender to clinical,
efficiency is enormous,
but over time, that extension will also turn
into
clinical care.
Let's take a look at radiology, for instance.
Right now,
radiologists are using AI to help them with
(15:48):
their reads.
At some stage, that extension, right, the ability
to do more reads through AI
will turn into AI doing the reads.
And some might argue that that technology is
ready today.
I don't know.
But either way, that is gonna create an
efficiency gain in terms of the system that
will be noticeable and will have an impact.
(16:11):
So to surmise, really, you have two major
efficiency gains that I I I think can
be can be breached with technology,
whether it's AI or not.
Clinical staffing. Right? Efficient use of providers, getting
the right provider at the right time when
you need him or her.
And the other is extending
the clinician
(16:31):
and ultimately
creating a more efficient
clinical workforce through AI and other technologies. So
there's the crystal ball. Mhmm. We'll see how
how far off it is in three years,
probably a ways. But, like I said, if
I knew
if I knew, I would know.
That's great, Thomas. I mean, I I love
the crystal ball prediction and really what it
(16:53):
seems like it's coming down to when you're
looking at workforce management
in the next few years, efficiency is really
the
the underlying theme and the through line for
all of these levers that you've mentioned.
So really appreciate all the insights that you've
shared with me and our listeners today. Is
there anything that we didn't cover or any
final thoughts that you wanted to mention?
(17:14):
No. I I I think that, really,
these are exciting times that we're in right
now even if they can be, a little
bit scary.
With that said, I really do believe the
future of clinical staffing is is really bright,
but it will have to adapt to the
changes that are underway.
And for all of us, regardless of of
what industry we're in,
(17:35):
that adaptation curve is only getting steeper and
more quick.
So that presents opportunity, but it also presents
challenges.
Certainly.
Thomas, this has been a great conversation. Thank
you so much again for your time and
for sharing your insights with Becker's today. Thanks
a great deal. We also wanna thank our
podcast sponsor for today, Locum Smart.
(17:57):
You can tune into more podcasts from Becker's
Healthcare by visiting our podcast page at beckershospitalreview.com.
Hello, everyone. This is Erica Spicer Mason with
Becker's Healthcare.
Thank you so much for tuning into the
Becker's Healthcare podcast series.
So today, we're going to talk about balancing
cost and care and strategic approaches to physician
and APP staffing.
And joining me for this discussion is Thomas
Lanvers, senior vice president at LocumSmart.
(00:21):
Thomas, thank you so much for making time
for the podcast today, and welcome.
Thank you. It's great to be here. We're
so glad to have you. And before we
get into our discussion
on the health care workforce, I was wondering
if you could just share a little bit
more about yourself and your work, whatever you
think would be helpful for our listeners to
know.
Sure.
I began, working in, physician staffing in 02/2004.
(00:44):
So I've been in either technology or physician
staffing
for twenty one years,
which makes me
not young.
But the reason I'm here is because I'm
passionate about it, and I'm really,
passionate about creating and crafting solutions for clients,
especially
when they're dealing with, complicated
problems. So
(01:05):
look forward to, look forward to today's call.
No. We look forward to it as well.
And, you know, twenty one years of experience
in this space, I think, is so valuable,
especially because
I'm sure over that time you've noticed
how workforce dynamics
have certainly
evolved and so have hospital needs and demands
for services as well. And it's really transformed
(01:26):
the staffing landscape,
especially for physicians and advanced practice providers
or APPs.
So I'd love to hear from you, you
know, what are you seeing as the biggest
challenges in the past decade in this space,
and what factors are driving these changes?
Yeah. So, boy, when when I started,
when I started twenty plus years ago,
(01:48):
locum tenens was a term
that almost nobody was familiar with.
Now it's a term that everyone is.
Staffing, though, has really been the last frontier
of unregulated
spend for health care organizations.
80% of health care organizations don't understand how
much they spend on their locums and APP
locums.
(02:08):
Where that spend is happening, why that spend
is happening,
that's a problem. Compare that to something like
surgical gloves or MRIs. I'm I'm sure most
hospitals can tell you down to the penny
how much they spend on those things.
The reason for that is that it's largely
been an afterthought and not a strategic part
of how hospitals think about their workforce.
Oftentimes, the locum's responsibilities have been really
(02:31):
lobbed over the fence to someone in recruitment
or credentialing or
really anyone that they've deemed to have additional
capacity.
That's changing,
and it's changing rightfully so because hospital systems
are now acknowledging and fully embracing the importance
of
importance of having a comprehensive approach to their
workforce
strategy. More than 50% of a hospital's costs
are tied up in labor. We we know
(02:54):
that. Right? So when we we talk about
reducing cost,
hospitals have to take the labor component into
consideration.
We also know that a % of revenue
doesn't happen at a hospital without physicians or
APP, so clinicians that can bill for services.
You put those two together and, really, you
you start to recognize that the workforce has
(03:15):
fundamentally shifted
in terms of how hospitals acknowledge and work
with it.
The gig workers was an idea,
ten or fifteen years ago.
Now it's not just an idea. It's a
relevant part of the workforce.
So how a hospital really starts to put
these puzzle pieces together in terms of gig
and their ten ninety nine, their locums,
(03:37):
their permanent workforce,
These are things that that really
have gone from an afterthought
to being top of mind.
So, really, when when we talk about, you
know, contingent labor or labor in general, the
biggest changes that we've seen with health care
organizations
are they want to know what is happening.
So they're driving towards visibility
(03:59):
in their physician and APP staffing.
Visibility
means it can be measured.
And if it can be measured, it can
be approved. So locums are shifting really away
from being an afterthought or viewed as a
You
(04:21):
You said something really powerful toward the beginning
of your response. You said staffing has been
the last frontier of unregulated
spend for health care organizations.
Just a really powerful statement.
And then some of those additional
statistics you shared such as, you know, more
than 50% of hospital costs are tied up
in labor,
definitely something that, you know, we can see
(04:42):
the reasons why hospitals and health systems are
trying to get their arms around this issue.
And I wanted to take this a step
further too and kind of acknowledge the fact
that the health care workforce is aging as
well. We see in data that more than
a third of currently active physicians will reach
retirement age within the next ten years.
So what are some immediate and long term
(05:03):
strategies that organizations can embrace to mitigate risks
and costs there and to ensure that their
staffing models are sustainable?
Yeah. Unfortunately,
clinician,
in particular, physicians are aging. Unfortunately, we all
are.
Right? I know that firsthand.
If we didn't have a large gap,
(05:26):
currently with our physician workforce, this would be
less of a problem. But you combine the
gap that we currently have
with, an aging,
clinical population and and and the gap widens.
So as I see it, there's really only
three choices that can be considered to to
shore up that gap,
going into the future. And if there's a
(05:46):
fourth choice, I would love anyone to reach
out to me because,
I I'd I'd like to hear about it.
But
to me, you can you can utilize,
additional extenders. Right? So what I call extenders
would be APPs,
NPs,
but also extenders further downline.
Hospitals right now are are really, starting to
(06:08):
experiment and even embrace,
you know, some telenurse,
technology,
which enables nurses,
to be more efficient and utilize CNAs
as extenders. So extenders are not just what
you would think of as your your your
typical extender, which would be a advanced plant,
practice physician
or an NP, but it can be used
(06:29):
all the way down the chain to create
more efficiencies
for clinicians in the workspace.
That trend we've seen accelerate,
and it's something that will continue into the
future.
Five years ago on our platform,
less than 10%
of the fills were APPNP.
Today, it's gone over 30%,
(06:50):
and that trend will only continue as that
physician gap continues to widen.
The second solution,
is technology.
So
technology can help all of us become more
efficient, but it can also help clinicians become
more efficient.
And the way we're seeing that is
kind of a a multifaceted
approach.
The first would be telehealth, for instance.
(07:13):
Telehealth enables us to bring clinicians to areas
that they might not normally serve without flying
them, without travel. It also enables them to
be more efficient in terms of the patients
they see per day.
And, ultimately, it's oftentimes a better experience for
the patient themselves.
So
telehealth is is a way that we can
find efficiency within the existing providers that we
(07:36):
have,
but that's not the only way. I think
that a lot of innovative health systems are
also dabbling with AI.
And right now, AI is being utilized as,
really a physician extender, so to speak.
And we can talk about that a little
bit more if you'd like.
And then the third, I I think really
(07:56):
technology,
efficiency gain that's out there would be in
the workforce
efficiency
segment.
I think that oftentimes we have,
either over or under scheduling of providers
or having providers in the wrong place at
the wrong time instead of the right place
at the right time.
So addressing that to,
(08:17):
again, utilize the the clinicians that we currently
have in place more efficiently
is another way that we can address that
gap.
The third,
way that we can address that gap, which
again will continue to grow, would be immigration.
So this one is one that, is a
little bit more difficult. It takes a little
bit longer,
(08:38):
and, it's a a segment that I'm not
in.
But, ultimately, if we have a provider shortage
and our current structure of medical schools cannot
address that,
at some stage, we're gonna have to really,
really think about opening up
immigration
to providers from outside the country to fill
that gap.
(08:59):
Yeah. Thomas, so interesting. And just to recap
for our listeners, you know, you you outlined
three great areas that you mentioned might help
to shore up this gap.
So additional extenders was one, technology was the
second, and integration, the third.
So considering all three of these, you know,
I know a lot of health systems and
hospitals out there will rely on external partners
(09:21):
for those resources.
So in your view, how can leaders
ensure that they're aligning with external partners to
address some of the challenges we've talked about
while also ensuring that their organization
organizational goals stay in sync?
Yeah. So I'll I'll I'll kinda work in
in in reverse order. So we'll start with
immigration.
(09:42):
This is this this happens in DC. Right?
So, hospitals,
fortunately, do have a significant amount of leverage
in Washington.
So do various recruitment associations, and I think
really,
pressing the need
for, immigration reform when it comes to,
physicians and clinicians entering our country,
(10:03):
is something that can be done at a
broader level in Washington. So that's that's relatively
easy, and and a lot of those efforts
are already underway.
From a technology point of view,
there's so many things that are out there.
This is where it gets very murky,
and
it gets a little bit difficult. So when
we talk about,
telehealth,
things have gotten a lot easier. You know?
(10:25):
You can do
95%
of what you need to do through Microsoft
Teams now.
And if you're not using Teams, you can
use Oracle or you can use Epic or
or or whatever kind of baked in solution
your hospital system has for telehealth.
So that that's gotten a lot easier, and
it doesn't require the, the level of kind
of sophisticated
equipment it once did.
(10:46):
When it comes
to AI, I perhaps I won't go down
that path right now. That's that's a whole
Mhmm. Bucket of like, can of worms, so
to speak.
But with workforce efficiency,
really, you know, there there are so many
hospital systems that that we work with currently
that are
employing what I call arts and crafts.
(11:07):
They're utilizing spreadsheets and three ring binders and
highlighters
to to schedule their providers.
The difficulty again with technology is there's a
lot of options in the marketplace,
and a lot of those options are not
well established.
So prior to
partnering with, a technology or any service for
(11:29):
that matter, you really have to vet them
out to ensure
that you're not becoming someone's beta project.
There's too much at stake. Right? And and
large health care organizations understand that. But sometimes
I see smaller ones that could kind of
embroiled with with startups that are promising the
world and cannot deliver.
(11:50):
Yeah. That's such sound advice, Thomas. You know,
really ensuring that
leaders are able to vet out the vendors
and make sure that they're not, as you
put it, the beta project. I think that's
a that's such a good piece of advice.
And I feel like we could certainly continue
going
down this path. I know we have a
limited time together.
So, wanna shift to kind of getting your
(12:12):
your outlook for the future. So when you
look to the next three years,
where are you seeing the biggest opportunities for
innovation in this space?
And what role will AI and other emerging
tech really play in shaping workforce management?
Yeah. I think I think that's that's really
the the million dollar question, and it's the
crystal ball question. Right? And,
(12:34):
you know, full full transparency. If I had
one of those,
I'd be on a beach, somewhere right now,
and we wouldn't be talking to each other,
but that would be less fun. I'll give
it a shot nonetheless.
In my mind,
you know, there there are really two areas
that
really are going to change dramatically in the
next three years. The first would be the
(12:56):
scheduling and efficiency side. Right? So that's utilizing
providers in a way that we're not wasting
any.
You know, the equivalent would be when we
talk about supply chains and not wasting produce,
prior to getting to the customer. We have
a lot of clinicians
that are not being used efficiently right now.
They're being over or under scheduled, and
storing that up
(13:17):
would yield at least 15%
efficiency gains in my mind. And I'll give
you a real world example of what that
looks like.
Many hospital systems already have,
float pools or ten ninety nine physicians that
they utilize,
to kinda fill immediate gaps.
The issue is most of the time, those
providers are not called. They're not contacted because
(13:40):
the needs happen quickly. And to get in
touch with the provider to see if the
provider is available is oftentimes through an archaic
method we call a telephone.
This
has translated into these ten ninety nines and
these flow pools being very inefficient.
And even though hospitals have really invested in
building them, the gains that they've realized from
(14:02):
from building them have not been,
completed because
they don't operate in an efficient manner.
So automating those float pools in a way
where the needs come real time to their
cell phone, They can take the shift in
real
time and go to work even within hours
is something that would really help kinda breach
(14:22):
that efficiency gap, that 15% gap I was
talking about.
So I think that's enormous, and I think
that that will,
yield
a lot in the coming years because the
technology is there, and we've already implemented it.
So it's just a matter of, adopting it
for hospitals.
On the other side, you have
AI. Right? And I think,
(14:43):
when we talk about AI, I I'll I'll
talk about it in in terms of just
clinical delivery
at the moment.
So
AI right now is is going to serve
as an extender of provider's efficiency.
There's some very innovative health care organizations that
are currently using AI to to help their
providers just even sort through email.
(15:04):
A family practice provider might have seventy, eighty,
or 90 emails at the end of the
day that they have to get through.
These are important, but they aren't direct clinical
care.
And if you have AI
that can sort through those and allow them
to essentially,
suss out what's important and what isn't, That
saves them time, and that that's time that
(15:26):
they can spend with patients instead of, in
administrative
tasks.
So AI as an extender to clinical,
efficiency is enormous,
but over time, that extension will also turn
into
clinical care.
Let's take a look at radiology, for instance.
Right now,
radiologists are using AI to help them with
(15:48):
their reads.
At some stage, that extension, right, the ability
to do more reads through AI
will turn into AI doing the reads.
And some might argue that that technology is
ready today.
I don't know.
But either way, that is gonna create an
efficiency gain in terms of the system that
will be noticeable and will have an impact.
(16:11):
So to surmise, really, you have two major
efficiency gains that I I I think can
be can be breached with technology,
whether it's AI or not.
Clinical staffing. Right? Efficient use of providers, getting
the right provider at the right time when
you need him or her.
And the other is extending
the clinician
(16:31):
and ultimately
creating a more efficient
clinical workforce through AI and other technologies. So
there's the crystal ball. Mhmm. We'll see how
how far off it is in three years,
probably a ways. But, like I said, if
I knew
if I knew, I would know.
That's great, Thomas. I mean, I I love
the crystal ball prediction and really what it
(16:53):
seems like it's coming down to when you're
looking at workforce management
in the next few years, efficiency is really
the
the underlying theme and the through line for
all of these levers that you've mentioned.
So really appreciate all the insights that you've
shared with me and our listeners today. Is
there anything that we didn't cover or any
final thoughts that you wanted to mention?
(17:14):
No. I I I think that, really,
these are exciting times that we're in right
now even if they can be, a little
bit scary.
With that said, I really do believe the
future of clinical staffing is is really bright,
but it will have to adapt to the
changes that are underway.
And for all of us, regardless of of
what industry we're in,
(17:35):
that adaptation curve is only getting steeper and
more quick.
So that presents opportunity, but it also presents
challenges.
Certainly.
Thomas, this has been a great conversation. Thank
you so much again for your time and
for sharing your insights with Becker's today. Thanks
a great deal. We also wanna thank our
podcast sponsor for today, Locum Smart.
(17:57):
You can tune into more podcasts from Becker's
Healthcare by visiting our podcast page at beckershospitalreview.com.
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